Business & Human Rights Organizations

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has become the world’s leading independent resource on the subject. Updated hourly with news and reports about companies’ human rights impacts worldwide – positive and negative. The website covers the social and environmental impacts of over 5000 companies, operating in over 180 countries. Taking international human rights standards as its starting point, topics covered include discrimination, environment, poverty and development, labour, access to medicines, health and safety, security, trade. The Resource Centre has been named by American Library Association as one of the world’s best reference websites.

Business Call to Action (BCtA)
Launched in 2008, the Business Call to Action (BCtA) aims to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by challenging companies to develop inclusive business models that offer the potential for both commercial success and development impact.

The BCtA global leadership platform is supported by the Australian Agency for International Development, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the UK Department for International Development, the US Agency for International Development, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Global Compact, the Clinton Global Initiative and the International Business Leaders Forum.

Worldwide, 63 companies have responded to the BCtA by making commitments to improve the lives and livelihoods of millions through commercially-viable business ventures that engage low-income people as consumers, producers, suppliers, and distributors of goods and services. Participating companies benefit from the BCtA’s ability to provide:
• A global leadership platform and opportunities to share expertise, knowledge, and best practices for market-based approaches to development;
• Initiative development advice and assistance; and
• Linkages with companies, donors, and other key stakeholders.

BCtA member initiatives include pledges to provide access to financial services for more than 57 million people, promote improved health outcomes for 50 million people, and enhance access to energy for 89 million low-income households.businesscalltoaction.org

Global Business Initiative on Human Rights
The Global Business Initiative on Human Rights (GBI) exists to advance human rights in a business context around the world. The underlying vision is a global community of corporations from all sectors knowing and showing that they respect the dignity and rights of the people they impact and interact with. From a business perspective this supports an enhanced approach to global leadership and risk management, and can provide access to markets, customers and capital. GBI is led by a core group of 18 major corporations headquartered in Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North Africa and North America.global-business-initiative.org

Guide for Integrating Human Rights into Business Management
The Guide for Integrating Human Rights into Business Management is an online tool produced jointly by the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR), the UN Global Compact and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Now in its second edition, it offers practical guidance to companies wanting to take a proactive approach to human rights within their business operations and is of use primarily to business leaders and managers in large and medium-sized enterprises, private and state-owned, who would like to develop their understanding of human rights in business practice.integrating-humanrights.org

Human Rights First
Human Rights First is an independent advocacy and action organization that challenges America to live up to its ideals. We believe American leadership is essential in the struggle for human rights so we press the U.S. government and private companies to respect human rights and the rule of law. When they don’t, we step in to demand reform, accountability and justice. Around the world, we work where we can best harness American influence to secure core freedoms.
Human Rights First is a non-profit, nonpartisan international human rights organization based in New York and Washington D.C. To maintain our independence, we accept no government funding.humanrightsfirst.org

Human Rights Watch | Business
Whether it is an oil company that relies on abusive private security forces, a tech company that censors or spies on users at the behest of a repressive government, or a corrupt government that siphons off the wealth of its nation, businesses and other economic activities can have negative impacts on people’s rights. Human Rights Watch investigates these and other situations to expose the problems, hold institutions accountable, and develop standards to prevent these activities. This work has included research and advocacy on human rights problems caused by corruption in resource-rich countries such as Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Nigeria, and Burma.hrw.org/topic/business